“In the most dangerous of times, those who escape and survive generally know people whom they can trust. Having old friends is the politics of last resort. And making new ones is the first step toward change.” — Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny.
How do we stay sane, let alone optimistic, knowing that we’re stuck with two and a half more years of Smith’s UCP government and Lord only knows how many years of the Poilievre conservatives after Justin Trudeau vacates the prime minister’s office. To say nothing of the chaos coming at us from four years of Donald Trump. (A friend said, if nothing else the internecine battles of his supporters—Musk and Bannon come to mind—will be entertaining).
At times it feels so overwhelming that all I want to do is hide under the bed until all this blows over.
But it’s not going to blow over. So here’s what I’ve decided to do.
Community
In addition to writing scathing letters to government ministers and donating like crazy to progressive causes, I’m going to focus on community (my family, friends, and people with whom I share other interests) because I’ve noticed that my community pulls together when confronted with a difficult situation, regardless of how the members of that community vote on the provincial or federal level.
My community is a place where I can have meaningful conversations with others who don’t think the same way as I do. .
For example, when a friend told me that he was tired of people telling him what to think, I asked who was telling him what to think and what exactly they wanted him to think.
It turned out my friend had a beef with people who wanted him to refer to them as “he”, “she” or ‘they.” Our conversation went like this:
Q: Which people?
A: Well, no one in particular, it was in the media.
Q: And why do you find this offensive?
A: It’s just weird.
Q: Surely, it’s no weirder than asking people to call you Apple?
A: True.
Q: So, if it makes them comfortable, what’s the big deal?
A: Mumble, mumble.
Our conversation didn’t devolve into name calling because my friend and I are part of a community. A decade ago, we both worked for the same company, and we’ve known each other for 30 years.
I don’t know if I changed his mind, but hopefully our conversation helped him understand that someone who’s asking to be treated with respect is not “telling him what to think.”
Obviously, that’s a simple example.
The more difficult conversations are like the one I had with four friends over lunch where we were talking about who we’d support in the next federal election. Everyone at the table had been stalwart Liberal party supporter but was now so fed up with Trudeau that one had decided to spoil his ballot, the other was going to vote for the NDP (an option I too am considering) and the other two said they’d vote for the Poilievre conservatives.
Vote for the CPC? Really?
We discussed this for a while, but I didn’t get a good sense of why my progressive friends would be prepared to throw their lot in with the CPC.
These people are members of my community of politically engaged (one might say hyper engaged) friends, so we’ll keep talking. Perhaps the three of us who wouldn’t consider voting for Poilievre will be able to talk the other two out of it, but no matter what, they’re part of my community, generally speaking we share similar values and it’s important we not give up on each other.
Your turn
That’s my plan.
I would be interested in hearing how you are going to navigate the coming chaos without driving yourself batty.
All the very best to you in 2025.
Susan
Susan on the Soapbox 
OK…I will keep it short and to one point…first, I am bewildered by progressives being so fed up with Trudeau that they would actually vote PC when they are unable to articulate what they are fed up about…so when people I know say they are thinking about voting PC this time, I remind them that “that vote would be supporting Colonialist thinking and I know that’s not what you really want the future Canada to be.” best i can do for now…(again, thanks for your blog).
Bruce, I really like how you put that. It makes people think and could be the start of a great conversation. I will be very curious to see whether progressives change their minds about voting Conservative now that Trudeau is stepping down.
Me too.
Any progressive voting for Pierre Poilievre, does not really know what they are.
There is a big difference this time between liberal ideology and fascist ideology. So anyone in the right mind should not have any doubts even if they dislike Trudeau.
We are now talking about Democracy versus whatever is that they call it these days – let me guess
ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY, yes just like Harper and his friend Viktor Orban in Hungary. So people telling me the two parties are the same are full of holes. That is no longer the case. We better think twice before voting this time.
I think having more conversations with openings in them for the other person to disagree without starting WWIII is a good idea. I am sometimes so passionate in my observations that I think I give some folks the idea there is no alternative.
But Maggie Thatcher said that, and I’d not have voted for her under threat of torture. Alternatives always exist, and my goal for this coming year is to find some of them. I want to work to protect the living web, some of the time as I’m enjoying being immersed in it. We’re planning a tenting trip to the west Coast…at 79, that’s not a bad goal……..I feel younger when closer to the earth…
And we’re going to continue retrofitting our home…install a heat pump and new insulation…imagining that exporting fossil gas is a contribution to lowering greenhouse gas emissions is a fantasy. We’re not going to ditch friends and political allies who think it is……..but we’re not going to be silent either.
We have 6 beautiful grandchildren, ranging in age from 22 to 2. We’re going to do what we can to defeat climate deniers, and work with everyone proud to be part of the tradition that began with Tommy Douglas….I imagine him as a climate warrior, were he still alive.
In 2025 I intend to make him….and my dad….proud.
Noklebym: what an uplifting comment! I agree that it’s difficult to be passionate about a cause and not come across as intimidating or close-minded, but nevertheless we have to try. In my conversations with my more conservative friends I’ve discovered that when all is said and done, we both want the same thing: happy children with a bright future ahead of them. The trick is to help people understand that this means more than just economic opportunity, it means living on a planet that’s not a toxic waste dump.
I loved your comment about Tommy Douglas. 🙂
I agree about people and what they want…..I found that at the door. But I also suspect that there’s an authoritarian bent in far too many people who continue to think they’re progressive. No one with a working brain can listen to Pierre P. for a few of his sessions, and not know that the guy is selling name calling/resentment/hate. But we’re tired of Trudeau so will take a turn with Poileivre???
There’s a mean daddy figure…a little guy who likes to intimidate but isn’t as bright as he should be….who takes it out on his kids- in more Albertans than we can imagine. Authoritarians want sameness, conventional certainty……according to an article in this months Alberta Views….and a strong leader to guarantee that conformity
I rather assume a real progressive wants a kinder, more inclusive future…and looks for that possibility in the words of the leader. It’s the meanness of spirit that repulses me…the willingness to impugn that Jagmeet is in it for his pension…its the contempt the conservative leader exudes.
What genuine progressive would fall for that?
Well, you’ve tossed out a big and necessary challenge. Firstly, we’ve not been here before, so we do not have a ‘common sense’ approach. What worked yesterday (or last decade) doesn’t work any longer. I believe Inviting community to a Systems Thinking session would be both informative and instructive. Map the observations/conversation and the different perspectives and cause/effect interactions of events and situations. Do this as an informal Citizen Assembly. These types of efforts are underway in the UK for similar reasons even though they have a newly elected Labour Government. And … get into discussing economics as that is truly the root of discontent. Neo-classical economics has over the past decades created great disparity that’s grinding everyone and the blame fingers are pointing in every direction but this. The grifter and his power hungry oligarchs will be in power south of the border shortly. We need an alternate Canadian narrative that is about Canadians and how we can/should feature our strengths. How about advocating/planning interprovincial trade by removing age-old barriers. Time to look and dialogue East/West/North. Let’s promote more Canadian industry. Let’s propose policy that regulates against monopolies. Let’s urge everyone to get out of their armpits and stop vilifying minorities of all kinds. Minorities are not the source of our problems.
lausmank55: thank you for your wonderful comment.
Your Systems Thinking suggestion is really intriguing. What I really like about it is that it would allow people to explore, understand and share their ideas in a neutral fashion, free from ideology. .
I also agree with your comment about neo-classical economics. The growing inequity between the rich and the poor will not be reversed if the public doesn’t understand how and why this is happening. Robert Reich has put out some excellent little videos that lay out this problem in ways anyone can understand. I do believe the public is slowly become more aware of how the rich use politicians to become richer and that leaving everything up to the free market (which isn’t really free but rather propped up by government subsidies, etc) is not the answer.
I personally know that I could never vote for the Cons. From coast to coast they are the main instigators of this hatred and mistrust. I also could not vote for the Federal NDP They are not knowledgeable enough about the systems of government that are in place. One example is Federal and Provincial jurisdiction.
I choose to stay with the choice I have made for a long time now. Liberals. Mr Trudeau has been a strong leader through tough times.
I am also very afraid for our democracy when I see the behaviour of the far right. Three prominent RW politicians spending Christmas with the leaders of the country found to be plotting against us.
Could say lots more!
Irene Walker Edmonton
Irene Walker: I understand your point about the federal NDP and wish that they had a leader like Jack Layton or Rachel Notley. I’ve met Notley many times and followed her speeches (and those of her MLAs) closely in Hansard. She was a very smart leader who assembled a terrific team.
I didn’t know Layton, but I have worked with people who knew him and were so impressed that they’d walk through a mine field if he said it was necessary. Unfortunately, Jagmeet Singh hasn’t impressed me the same way. This is a problem…until yesterday. Now it’s jump ball, between Singh and the new Liberal leader.
It’s going to be a very interesting spring.
Thanks for your reply, well said. I agree about Rachel Notley and have supported her for several years. I’ve wondered about her future plans also.
After the news today I am trying to come to terms with what I will do.
I feel that Carney will be another Ignatieff.
Thanks again for all your soapbox writings.
Irene
Hi Irene
Unfortunately I have a similar feeling about Carney. He seems to be the Ignatieff second coming. I also agree with Susan about Singh. I think if Rachel Notley was the leader things would be way better.
I’m going to continue making noise and “good trouble” with the Lethbridge Raging Grannies. Venting our frustration in protest and cheeky songs is very cathartic. I just can’t sit and do nothing. 😊
Karen, I love the Raging Grannies! Thank you for continuing to “make noise and good trouble.” 🙂
I am not sure how to cope with the upcoming changes or chaos? Since retired I have prided myself on staying more informed regarding political issues. I am currently more clear on my values than ever before. This awareness was never my focus when I was working full time in education where I constantly felt behind or in survival mode. Fast forward to today and to be honest; I might need to scale back my desire to “stay informed” and focus more on my projects or health goals. This political landscape of hatred and division is hard on my soul. I have no problem voting for Trudeau again. He’s made huge errors, yes, bad decisions, yes, but he has not incited a violent insurrection or called anyone “low IQ” or pretended to have oral sex with a mic or claimed immigrants were eating pets or been convicted of rape; or, or, or. I will never call Trump a President. Here at home, Conservatives in Canada want to go back in time, put their heads in the sand regarding environmental protection, win votes through hate, desire to feed their corporate friends, etc. This I cannot support.
Mary S:
I know exactly what you mean when you say you may have to “scale back” your desire to stay informed. So much is coming at us, and so much of it is spread with vitriol that for our own mental health we need a break.
Like you I could not vote conservative. I don’t agree with their view that if government just got “out of the way” of business everything would be fine. It reminds me of the attitude of certain high ranking American financiers who were surprised at the 2007-08 financial collapse because they didn’t anticipate that banks would act against their own self interest. The banks almost collapsed in the sub-prime mortgage debacle and were bailed out by the government (ie. taxpayer), people lost their houses, and didn’t get bailed out by anyone, but the bankers (like Jamie Dimon, net worth $2.6 billion) made out like bandits.
This i cannot support.
Thank you, I truly appreciate your work and taking the time to respond. Maybe, just maybe a time will come when the past can be used to learn from experience. Maybe? Hope so. Once again, thank you. Mary S.
I know exactly why I have denied the liberal party my vote – Trudeau’s ethics.
I also know why I have denied the conservatives – Poilivre is nothing but a “Bob Rumson” (watch The American President) who only cares about 2 things: who to blame and who to scare. Plus, he is an impolite asshole.
The green party has their head in the clouds. Maxime Bernier has his head somewhere far less sunny.
One of my uncles survived Juno Beach & a german POW camp, and my son-in-law is currently serving. Abstaining or spoling my ballot is not an option.
So that leaves the NDP.
Today’s news changes my previous post; without Trudeau, I will consider voting for the liberal party, pending who the local candidate is.
Gerald, thank you for this and your later comment. I agree in general with what you’ve said. I do like Elizabeth May, I think she’s very smart and ethical, but her party’s policies are too muddled for me. I found your comment about why you wouldn’t abstain or spoil your ballot very moving.
Thank you.
Hello Susan,
I know everyone has their own personal reasons for voting. For me, hearing my uncle’s experiences from WWII was enough to ensure I voted as a young adult.
Now that I hear from my son-in-law – he trains NATO & Ukrainian troops in Latvia – abstaining or spoiling my ballot is simply not an option.
Unfortunately, at my age (early retirement), I cannot join the Reserves. To my mind, that is the penultimate exercision of the sovereign right to vote.
As for which political party, well, I was done with the federal conservatives under Harper majority goverment. Snitch line, muzzling federal ocean scientists in re salmon farms, support detaining Canadians at Guantonomo Bay … the list is long, and Peter Poilievre gets to wear much of it. Incipient fascist. Why none of the other parties have picked up on that surprises me.
In the film “The American President”, the antagonist is a Republican senator whose campaign ethos is to scare middle aged middle class citizens and tell them whome to blame; but to actually offer real solutions for real problems – oh no, that’s just not on. So Poilievre is just aping a fictional American – he’s not even an original asshole politician.
I agree with you in re Elizabeth May. I truly wish the Green Party would just say, “This is where we are. This is what we should do to transform our economy so we grow jobs & reduce our environmental impact.” In other words, become a whole lot more like the ABNDP government from 2015 – 2019 was. They need to be far more than an environment first party.
Maxime Bernier: just go away, or sit down & shut up. Better yet, all of the preceding. Take the Bloc Quebecois with you please.
Jagmeet Singh: recruit Rachel Notley, then resign. Let’s face it, the federal NDP needs to become like the Alberta NDP before they will ever breakout from the 20% poll range.
For the new Liberal leader – you are inheriting, at best, a barely potable chalice. The Donvict, housing, the economy, the environment, and more. A probable confidence vote loss & subsequent election. Someone who can multitask, delegate, and inspire is indicated.
Going on current records & given the prorogation deadline, that says Freeland or LeBlanc to me. My preference is Freeland (proven can deal with Trump!), but I can live with LeBlanc (massive experience). While Carney was being recruited by Trudeau for finance, he will just end up as Ignatief redux. Outsider smarts is not enough in current situation.
Trudeau would do well swallow more humble pie and ask Freeland to return as Finance minister. I know norm is cabinet ministers resign to campaign for leadership, but we are in an exceptional situation. Trudeau lost too many from his front benches, we need all of our face cards to “trump” the orange fool.
Thanks for this Gerald. Your comments about your son-in-law reminded me of the time Jean Chretien wisely declined George Bush’s invitation to join the coalition of the willing and fight in Iraq. I was listening to a Canadian diplomat on the radio the other day. He said that Chretien’s decision led to Canada being locked out of all the important meetings in Washington for a year. Nevertheless it was the right thing to do. I only hope Canada has the strength to fight Trump’s 25% tariff with the same courage.
I also will continue to write scathing letters, although they seem to disappear into the internet void somewhere. My copies to the NDP have generated a reply, but not so much from the barely elected party in power. I donate as well. It makes me feel good! Mostly environmental groups, animal rescues, independent journalism and the NDP.
This year I have made a vow to be more friendly. That sounds weird because I am friendly, but I mean MORE friendly. Be more kind, more generous, donate more time to good causes.
There are so many decisions being made by the UCP that create chaos in my soul. I will not ignore any of them, however, I have said to myself, which ones would you be willing to be arrested fighting for. Since I live in Lethbridge, coal mining in the birthplace of my drinking water is one, and the other….because I love the Wild Alberta Horses living on the Eastern Slopes who are being threatened with a cull and sterilization; I would go to jail for them.
Because you quoted Timothy Snyder I am going to visit my local independent bookseller, Analog Books, and pick up a copy of ‘On Tyranny’. The graphic edition, as it is easier to get through while still packing a punch!
Thanks for your letters. You are part of my community.
Kathy, I really liked your comment about how you decide which issue to get really passionate about: “Are you willing to get arrested over this?” What a great litmus test!
I smiled when you said you’re going to be even MORE friendly and pictured you killing the UCP with kindness. Poor dears, they wouldn’t know what hit them.
Thank you for being part of my community!
I am taking the same path.
I attended my first Alberta NDP rally in Calgary, where Nenshi reminded us we are neither hopeless nor helpless. I too, shall be writing letters and getting involved in local NDP politics. I describe myself as a Lougheed Progressive Conservative – having worked in Executive Council during his tenure. As for federal politics, I am conflicted. Once again, I’ll open my half-read Values by Mark Carney, and internally debate the merits (or lack) of strategic voting. Community is my watchword – doing what I can to create meaningful discussions and cohesion. Thanks for strengthening my resolve.
Jennifer, you’re very welcome. My goodness, that would have been an incredible experience working for Lougheed’s executive council. You’d have first-hand knowledge of the difference between progressive conservatism and whatever the heck it is that Danielle Smith is peddling.
Given Trudeau’s announcement that he’s stepping down, that Mark Carney book may be more helpful than we originally thought (that’s assuming Carney didn’t have his eye on the prize even way back then when he wrote it).
I agree with you Susan about Carney’s book but unfortunately my experience is that what they write on the book is their personal dream. When it comes to reality things never happened the same way. We saw that many times before, more recently with Obama. Reality is way more complex than writing a book.
Thank you, Susan.
I appreciate the effort of putting out a weekly commentary and appreciate your perspective. I agree community is a great place to begin.
Thanks for being a light.
Best,
Jane Goddard
Jane Goddard: you are so very welcome! Thank you for being a member of this community.
All the best,
Susan
Thanks Susan,
I will continue to do what I can. I write letters to politicians on issues I care about. I always vote…..for the person I think will make the best leader. That is not Poilivre so the conservatives will not get my vote. I can’t agree with “Canada First” or “Alberta First” , thinking that denies our humanity and collective interest in the future of the world. We are so greedy and entitled!
Today I am hopeful the Liberals will select a new leader I can support. I will probably buy a party membership so I can vote for my choice.
Otherwise, I don’t get too stressed as I firmly believe that people are good and there will be a tipping point when our Alberta government goes too far. If nothing else, politics is much more interesting that it used to be.
I appreciate your posts Susan, particularly your great research on issues. Please keep it up. Staying informed is critical.
Anita: You really nailed it when you said the “Canada First” or “Alberta First” way of thinking denies our humanity and collective interest in the future. I agree that it’s inhumane to let someone on the other side of a politically constructed border suffer so we can become even richer.
The beauty about a focus on community is that it reaffirms your faith in humanity which, as you point out, is for the most part, good and decent.
Thank you!
Thank you for this. I appreciate the candour and kindness to the community. It takes a village. We can all help. MJ
MJ: thanks for the support. I think the coomentators on this blog are the smartest and most thoughtful I’ve seen anywhere. It’s a pleasure to hear from them.
my vote doesn’t matter, I live in rural AB and it’s always overwhelmingly conservative. I’d like to know what Trudeau did in his 9 years that was so horrible that now everyone hates him. I don’t see it.
Having said that, I will vote Liberal, probably, unless an extremely wonderful NDP candidate shows up in my riding.
None of the parties really represent my values, especially provincially. Provincially my best bet is NDP hands down. They are too big business oriented but at least they are less so than the UCP. Federally, ABP. Anyone but Pierre. I’d vote Parti Quebecois here in AB if I thought they had a snowball’s chance of forming the next government.
Janna, it must be difficult to live in an area where the overwhelming majority of people think the UCP/CPC are the best choice for government. I’ve been thinking about your comment about the provincial NDP being too big business oriented and wonder whether they (and the federal NDP) should go back to their roots, demarcate themselves as being the only political party that puts the people, the common public good, all that, first. At least we’d know who they are and have a clear choice instead of right and right-of-centre, with a smidgeon of centre thrown in there.
I would love to see the NDP go back to their roots but I don’t think they’d have a hope in hell of being elected then. Too many people believe in trickle down. They believe that businesses create jobs – which they don’t consumers create jobs.
I spoke with my NDP MLA and said we needed to make energy ownership public and maybe it would be good to start with publicly owned solar and wind. She disagreed and said it’s much better done privately. I completely think she’s wrong, if it’s publicly owned that takes away the profit motive.
Oh well. I’m a socialist. I would be communist but humans can’t make that work, we aren’t altruistic enough.
Jana I could not agree more with public owned renewable energy and in the 50s and 60s that all was owned by the public and the rates were low. Since the privatization, prices went up and it is such a complex structure that we end up paying for the maintenance and the private owners take the profits.
People that never had the experience of when the commons were way stronger and reliable think that we cannot do anything well. These young MLAs do not even believe in themselves never mind in the public ownership.
I am not as confident in the NDP as you are. They are nothing but a neo-liberal party. With Nenshi at the helm they will never be a social democratic party. At the Federal level we need someone like Angus rather than Singh.
Jana hopefully these rare places of community are not going to be shut down soon
With the political system the way it is right now, I will not bother with who gets elected because in the end they all doing the same and they are the primary cause of the collapse in political trust and in governments.
In the last 30 years we did nothing but support corporate power, disempowered Unions and the midlle class, cut social programs as much as possible and use strong propadanda to convince us that the fundamental market theory is inevitable and the only possible alternative, creating bilionaires and making the rest of us the new feudal class.
How we are going to deal with this? I do not think it will be any different than what we have had so far. We are a a big sheep class and we will accept it and allow these bullies to continue in their merry ways. Some of us will make some noises but we are too weak to mount any kind of front to corrupt politicians and they know that. Any kind of revolution, violent or not is very UnCanadian.
With Trudeau resigning I think things changed a bit. Hoping for a more trustworthy progressive is now our best bet.
I am not big on Freeland and I am concerned about Carney, so we will see.
Carney is definitely competent but so was Ignatieff. Unfortunately I have no big love for the Federal NDP. Liberals should choose very carefully and hopefully the person to replace Justin Trudeau will say out loud to that idiot down South along with his Jocker that Canada is also not for sale like the other nations have made it perfectly clear to the US.
Many of the talking heads/chattering class are now calling Trudeau a lame duck. Which is patently ridiculous. The term arose in the US to codify a protocol where an outgoing president doesn’t do anything substantial as a politeness for the incoming. I note that Biden is quietly flouting that convention, especially in releasing funds to the Ukraine.
As for Trudeau, he now has the freedom to drop the gloves. He still has a country to protect. Promising to leave, he then stands up to the orange clown bully and blacks his eye (or better yet, tasks Freeland to do it) – I can already hear Poilievre gnashing his teeth in impotent fury.
Gerald I agree with your point here. First his critics were mad that he wouldn’t resign, now they’re mad that he resigned too late. I understand the urgency here. That’s why the Liberals are fast tracking the leadership race and it looks like there will only be two leadership candidates, Carney and Freeland, both of whom are more than able to take on Poilievre. Whether they can win or not is a different question, but they’ll certainly give him a run for his money and that counts for something.
Gerald you are absolutely right.
It is clear to me now that the extreme right wing is creating this enormous pressure on Justin Trudeau to destroy him as a politician and, I would venture to say as a person. The way Trump treats Justin Trudeau is to say the least horrendous. In his first term he even called him traitor which if it was me, I would simply never talk to him again.
The extreme right wing agenda is clear in Alberta and how Danielle Smith refers to the Federal government and especially to Justin Trudeau. It is clear in how Trump reacted to the prime minister resignation and how he once again said that he wants Canada. Of course he does. Trump wants everything that smells like money for him.
Justin Trudeau never reacted to Trump and I think that was a big mistake. Now we have Trump and that monkey Elon Musk to put up with. I am sorry the insult but the fact is that we are allowing the right wing to insult and lie about us and to us and we are not building a wall to all of this and we will regret it soon. Fascists do not respond to decency.
Carlos, I do agree with your premise, that the wealthy have (in Canada as well as the US) had too much power over politics and government, I am still hopeful that we will be able to shift back to electing politicians (like Jimmy Carter) who took their role as public servant seriously and who made changes that helped everyone, not just the monied class.
As I watch Donald Trump threatened Canada I’m beginning to think that more Canadians may wake up to the fact that it’s better to be Canadian than American. Hopefully they will re-evaluate their institutions like public healthcare, and fight to make them stronger.
And to those Canadians who say they want to join the US because their taxes will go down, I say do go live there for 7 years like I did. You’ll see it’s MORE expensive to live in the US, not cheaper, and on top of the economic burden, you will live in fear. I have never met a more fearful group in my life. They’re terrified of anyone who doesn’t look like them, who doesn’t think like them, who doesn’t love like them, who’s richer, who’s poorer, who’s smarter, because these “other” people might break into their homes, kills their children in their schools, mow them down in the streets, blow up their office buildings, subways and airports or worse yet, might encourage others to open their eyes and see what the States could be, not what it has devolved into.
Carlos, you make a very good point about governments prioritizing corporate interests over everyone else’s. What’s mystifying is why the public lets governments get away with this. Part of the problem (I think) is not many members of the public have had the opportunity to sit at the big table and see how business executives and their boards of directors work. The public (naively) believes that if they work hard for the corporation, they will be rewarded with great pay, good pensions, fantastic benefits. But this is not the case. A corporation’s one and only objective is to make a profit. and it will try to do so anyway it can. It’s up to government to keep corporations in line, but they don’t do it because the public has been fed the line that the free market is good for everybody and everything. Therefore any political party that says that’s not the case goes down in flames. I don’t know what it will take to get people to open their eyes.
There is no doubt that Canada is in a crisis but we should not lose sight of what the rest of the world looks like – just a couple a points – never mind Africa.
1 – The war in the Middle East is now on the verge of extending to Turkey and even Iran. I doubt Israel is capable of handling something of that magnitude, which means the US could have to get involved.
2 – The US is bankrupt and all it takes is for the BRIC countries to change from the dollar to the euro, for example, and the MAGA will learn a lesson they cannot control. So getting involved in another war will be quite consequential.
3 – The European Union that use to take 10 years to give access to any country to before allowing them in, is not selling memberships for the highest bidder and the consequences are pretty obvious. Countries like Hungary and now Slovakia want the European money but want to help Putin.
4 – The same applies to NATO and I am curious to see how NATO deals with Turkey if the start a war with Israel. Again in their obsession to increase in size, made decisions that are to me appalling.
5 – The environmental crisis is going to be put on the shelf for another, at least 4 years, so the consequences can be catastrophic for most of us.
6 – Finally the unknowns coming from the US where the signals are, to say the least, as dangerous as all the first 5 points together. A simple withdrawal of the US from NATO could put the whole world in a third world war. Unless of course Elon Musk takes over the American Army. His own dad is now warning us to ignore him. I have ignored him for good but the man is evil and no one knows what Trump is willing to give him and what that can evolve into.
Happy 2025 everyone.
Carlos, thanks for the wake-up call. The seriousness of what is facing us feels overwhelming, which is probably why more and more people are throwing up their hands and saying to the bullies and dictators: I’ll let you do whatever you want as long as you fix it. Oh and make me rich while you’re at it. I would love to see the media spend as much time addressing these issues as they waste speculating on whether Trump means it or not when he says he’ll use economic force to take over Canada. We’ve become a very reactive society, people like Trump flash a shiny object and we run off after it without asking ourselves what is he really up to.
In my worst case scenario I see Russia, China and the US dividing up the world into three spheres of influence, which won’t last long because you can bet on it, one of the three is going to want the whole shebang.
“Fascists do not respond to decency.” So said Carlos above and truer words have never been spoken (right!). Well, at least in this case. And therefore, Canada, made up by and large by a people who value decency, is under attack.
I think Trudeau, with a certain naivete, simply couldn’t see it, being basically a decent Canadian who only wanted to do good for the country and the world. Jasmeet Singh lost any shred of respect by me by vowing, finally, to bring down the government…at the worst possible time! Obviously doesn’t have a clue!
Given the results of the U.S. election and at best case saddling a new Liberal leader with pretty much the same scenario as Kamala Harris, I don’t hold much hope for a progressive government. I also don’t hold hope for all those polite Canadians to lead a revolution, but I’ll be there!
I believe community is the only thing that is going to save us. I do think like-minded decent people should come together to form our own independent communities, bringing our own unique set of skills. Remember the chop shop built in a wooded area in south Edmonton? Had everything they needed – basically, but you get the idea. I would like to make friends with farmers and maybe build little communities on some of their land. It probably sounds bizarre but I do think we’re close to being there.
In the meantime, I too am moving away from the ‘news’ and ‘retired’, continue to care for my husband and my daughter who is disabled and to focus on creativity and knowledge and staying in the present moment by painting and working in the fibre arts and occasionally ranting on someone’s blog comments.
“Fascists do not respond to decency.” So said Carlos above and truer words have never been spoken (right!). Well, at least in this case. And therefore, Canada, made up by and large by a people who value decency, is under attack.
I think Trudeau, with a certain naivete, simply couldn’t see it, being basically a decent Canadian who only wanted to do good for the country and the world. Jasmeet Singh lost any shred of respect by me by vowing, finally, to bring down the government…at the worst possible time! Obviously doesn’t have a clue!
Given the results of the U.S. election and at best case saddling a new Liberal leader with pretty much the same scenario as Kamala Harris, I don’t hold much hope for a progressive government. I also don’t hold hope for all those polite Canadians to lead a revolution, but I’ll be there!
I believe community is the only thing that is going to save us. I do think like-minded decent people should come together to form our own independent communities, bringing our own unique set of skills. Remember the chop shop built in a wooded area in south Edmonton? Had everything they needed – basically, but you get the idea. I would like to make friends with farmers and maybe build little communities on some of their land. It probably sounds bizarre but I do think we’re close to being there.
In the meantime, I too am moving away from the ‘news’ and ‘retired’, continue to care for my husband and my daughter who is disabled and to focus on creativity and knowledge and staying in the present moment by painting and working in the fibre arts and occasionally ranting on someone’s blog comments.
tulum0303 Thank you for your comment (I’m not sure why it appeared twice but I’m reluctant to delete the second one because it might wipe out the first one).
I take your point (and Carlos’s point) that being decent and polite is not the way to respond to Trump. He’s a mutton-headed bully. He needs to be pushed back, hard. The world loves Canada and despises the US. The more Trump tries to push us around the worse he makes it for himself. He may think he’s invincible but the mid-term elections are just 2 years away. At this rate the House and the Senate will flip and he’ll be sitting there unable to do anything. A very stupid man.
In the meantime we should follow your lead…engage with our communities, care for ourselves and our families, and (on the odd occasion) rant a little!
So let me go through this for the one hundredth time.
Trump and the American Army will not invade Canada because we are great. On the other hand Panama and Greenland are, I am sorry to say, not great people and so the American government will take them. With some luck he will offer Ukraine to his buddy Putin and who knows about South Korea?
Hello Danielle Smith , 51 state offer appealing to you? After all you are going to the inauguration of a nut that wants to take over Canada by economic force. Is this not your hero?
Carlos, given what Trump has recently said about taking Greenland and Panama by military force and Canada by economic force, any Canadian politician who attends his inauguration should be booted at the first opportunity. Smith cheered when Trump was elected in Nov. She said she wasn’t worried about Trump imposing tariffs (why? did she imagine he’d give Alberta’s oil and gas a pass?), then when Trump said he’d impose a 25% tariff she started yelling for Trudeau to do something. Then she started meeting with various US governors and statesmen, and still she’s going to his inauguration because he’s such a great guy. Even Doug Ford pushed back harder than Smith has done. She’s a disgrace.
She is not just a disgrace. If she goes to the inauguration she is a traitor and should be pushed out of the Legislature.
Carlos: I hope the NDP hammer the hell out of this point when she returns. Someone told me the trip cost $250,000 US. We paid for it and we have every right to demand an explanation.
This is the only MP that made me proud of being Canadian – the awful silence from the rest of the pack is disgraceful. Just look at the reactions from Panama , Denmark and Mexico. It feels like we reacted like a colony of the US. Even more amazing is the 13% that cannot wait to become American. Move there and leave us alone, and fast please.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/12/27/opinion/bully-Trump-Angus-MP-Ottawa
When Ford said he would cut of the electricity from Ontario, I swear to God, I heard a dry chuckle from Ralph Klein’s grave site.
Suddenly today the right wing newspapers woke up with articles of Patriotism. No one cared for a couple of weeks but now that sounded like citizens are upset with these ridiculous statements about getting Canada by economic FORCE, politicians and journalists are all out to get the brownie points. Shameful – where were you right from the first time this idiot said it?
This is unbelievable and I know what I would do – just shut down platform X for good. This guy is a terrorist and needs to get his lesson.
We now have a situation where an extreme right wing is challenging all progressive states in the world. Remember Hitler? Well as we all know the only thing that stopped him was DEFEAT. Believe me, it is not any different now. Defeat this idiot or suffer the consequences. The reason he is so active in Europe is because he knows Europe is turning to the extreme right and he does not want to miss the opportunity
Cut the problem by the root.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/musk-europe-uk-social-media-accusations-1.7424791
Here is just an example of the today’s explosion of concern and I fully agree as I said before.
Danielle Smith goes to Washington and she will have to resign. She can find parties in other parts of the world. She will also save us 250 thousand dollars.
It is time we assume responsibility of our province and lets have a massive email process to request her resignation. She can go to the US and run there for governor and we will be a much better province without her.
https://womenofabpoli.substack.com/p/danielle-smith-cannot-attend-trumps
Maybe she’ll get something out of that trip to the inauguration, like finding a billionaire who will make a $40M documentary about her life: “Ms. Smith goes to Washington”. I hope it includes the school trustee gig. That’s my favorite.
Albertaria,
So today after she returned from her trip to Mar-a-lago and made a number of Twitter posts talking about her constructive conversation with Trump at dinner and on the golf course she said that tariffs are definitely coming. Big surprise.
Smith should not inspire confidence. When the tariffs were first announced (at perhaps 10%) she said she wasn’t worried about the tariffs, then Trump boosted it to 25% and she demanded Trudeau do something. Then as the feds were putting together their strategy she (and many other premiers) struck out on their own and Smith’s solution was to flatter the man and promise to double oil production (note: it’s the oil companies, not the Smith government that produces oil and it’s the oil companies, not Smith who pays the tariff). And today she said tariffs are definitely coming. (You don’t say!)
So what was all the hoopla at Mar-a-lago about and what’s it going to cost the taxpayer and what’s the point of Smith traveling to Washington for Trump’s inauguration. He’s not going to back down because she has a nice smile.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Carlos, it was pretty obvious this was a boondoggle when we found out her dinner companions were Jordae Peterson and Kevin O’Leary. I want to know whether the tax payer foot the bill for this dinner, and if so, what the justification was, because spending the evening talking to Peterson and O’Leary does nothing to advance Smith’s “please don’t impose tariffs” argument. .
Susan I fully agree. It only advances her already quite evolved lunacy. What should we think about anyone that cherishes the company of Kevin O’Leary, Jordan Peterson and above all our holiness Donald Trump?
Here comes the UCP propaganda in full force.
Have you seen this in any mainstream publication or discussed by the government?
Of course not, it will be done like the coal deal with the Australia billionaire, under the table and without you even knowing. Suddenly the tailing ponds are ok.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/01/07/news/alberta-energy-regulator-oilsands-tailings-spills-cleanup
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2025/01/09/Billionaire-Bored-Hole-Alberta-Laws/
This is what Danielle Smith and her gang call freedom.
Carlos: I have seen stories about this on CBC…which is probably why the conservatives want to shut down CBC.
Some news from the Health Care System that has been fixed in 90 days by our Premier / (Traitor in waiting) – we will see if she still wants to go party to Washington to the inauguration of a president that is threatening Canada into becoming the US fifty first state. The last word is YES she will, after all she belongs to the same MAGA crap and she would not mind to give them the oil for free.
https://albertapolitics.ca/2025/01/no-joke-we-counted-alberta-health-services-has-had-12-chief-executive-officers-since-2008/
Carlos, I told one of my friends that if a private sector organization went through this many CEOs this quickly, the share price would tumble and the entire board would be replaced. It’s unbelievable.
Your friends who are voting for Poilievre can join hands with Alex Jones, who has granted his endorsement. I recommend Jones’s gay frog video on YouTube.
From the ludicrous to the dark side. PM Trudeau is resigning, parliament is prorogued, a Liberal Party leadership race has begun and the next U.S. president saw an opportunity to strike like a viper. He can’t “annex” Canada for another week. “Annex”: where did I hear that word before? Oh, yes, in history books about how WWII began and in the Diary of Anne Frank.
The only good thing was Jean Chrétien’s 91st birthday and newspaper column.
Albertarian, I’m disappointed that my friends are considering voting for Poilievre. That was before Trudeau resigned. I will be very interested in finding out whether they still feel the same way today, especially now that it looks like Mark Carney will enter the race.
Just a question – the last time the US invaded Panama, Operation Just Cause, we as Canada supported the US. Of course, the US is always right and we just ignore it.
I wonder if Canada is going to do the same if the US invades again to get the Panama Canal? Are we going to stay silent again while we criticize the Russians in Ukraine?
Just asking.
Carlos: I don’t think Canada would join the US in any invasion. When Trump referred to the Canada-US border as an “imaginary line” that should have sent up red flags across the globe. Sovereign nations have borders which other sovereign nations do not mess with. The mere fact that we’re having this discussion indicates Trump is a mad man.
I did not mean to join the invasion, I meant the silence of not criticizing any of these moves by the US.
We are always ready to criticize China and Russia, so I am curious to see what will happen if the US decides to invade Panama or even us, who knows. Will he stay silence afraid of losing trade?
Thank God for democracy
‘Liberal leadership candidates can pay $350,000 entry fee in instalments, but unclear if any portion is refundable’
Anyone can run for office right? only 350 thousand and you are in.
Amazing how we all have access to power in our democracies.
I don’t know how exactly Liberals ended up so dissatisfied, but I can sure relate too. I had considered all the same options as your friends, but still as Mick Jagger famously said I can’t get no satisfaction.
Many years ago I was driving back home to the city in a what became a bad winter storm in the evening after visiting close family in a rural area for a birthday. I hit a patch of ice, spun around ended up going the opposite way and finally slamed into a hard snow bank in the ditch. It was so disorienting, but I looked about and I was ok. My vehicle was not damaged and two guys in a truck soon after came by and helped get me unstuck. Talk about community!
Yes, all of the chaos now is very disorienting, but sticking together with our friends and community through these tough times is the probably the best advice. We will get through this together somehow and there will be better days after.
Great advice Dave
Our premier is the first good example in that direction 🙂
I feel that there are way more benefits to changing the voting system to Proportional Representation, one of them being that it allows the creation of new smaller parties which are basically impossible with the current system.
I do not think that Singh is interested in it. The NDP in Alberta certainly isn’t at all and I wonder why. I talked to Sarah Hoffman about it and she said that it was not even on the list of their concerns. She is entitled to her opinion of course, but she does not know how much of a problem it is for Albertans.
It is quite amazing to me that a progressive party like the NDP does not care at all about it.
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-ndp-must-fulfill-justin-trudeaus-broken-promise-on-electoral-reform
I hate to say it but the reason is pure IGNORANCE and lack of interest. Like the good neo-liberal party they are, money, markets and trade is what matters.
THEY are VERY WRONG. I hope that Nenshi has a bit more vision.
By the way – Proportional Representation was first promised to Canadians in 1921 !!
It serves us Canadian Citizens but it does not give the politicians the majorities they crave to feel like Emperors. I think that it is time. We missed an opportunity with Justin Trudeau because as an Emperor he prefers the ranking system and it was his way or the highway. The Ranking system is not proportional. I have been in Alberta since 1981 and only once my vote counted. This is ridiculous.
If you are interested in knowing more please visit
https://www.fairvote.ca/
Carlos, I couldn’t agree with you more. I decided some time ago that perhaps the biggest flaw in our current system is that there are only a few parties, both federally and provincially, that attract voters and most often the result of an election is a winner-take-all government. If that government chooses to ignore the wishes and the welfare of the electorate in favour of enacting their own ideology-based agenda, as our present provincial government is doing now, we as voters and citizens have no recourse. Sure we can phone or email our MLA but if our concerns are ignored where do we go from there? Since we haven’t yet reached the point where we are protesting in the streets with any regularity, we wait in frustration until the next election and hope that we can elect a different party into power in order to enact change. We know how that works out in Alberta. Not well.
A few years ago in this forum we had a brief discussion of the Netflix show ‘Borgen’ that dramatized the workings of the Danish parliament. It took me a while to understand what was going on in the show but once I started to get it I found it quite intriguing so I did a little research. According to the Danish Parliament website there are at present 16 different parties representing a population of about 5.9M people. Since it only takes 2% of the national vote to gain representation it seems reasonable to assume that these parties reflect a variety of different viewpoints across the political spectrum. As dramatized in the show, in order for the governing party to pass any legislation they had to find enough support amongst the other parties for the vote to pass. This required the making and breaking of alliances, negotiation, strategy, diplomacy and compromise. Basically, a politician had to actually BE a politician in order to accomplish anything. As a result, at the end of a term it seemed that most parties got something that they wanted but no one party got everything that it wanted. Given where we are now that sounds pretty good to me.
We have recently seen the benefits of a minority government in Canada on a small scale at least, when the federal NDP was able to get some of their policies implemented in exchange for their support of the minority Liberal government. I can’t help but think about how different both our federal and provincial politics would be if every government was a minority or a coalition of some sort, comprised of several disparate parties all vying with one another to negotiate something for the people who voted for them in order to retain their support. Proportional representation appears to be the way to make this happen. (As an aside, Wikipedia informs me that no party in Denmark has been able to achieve a majority since 1901 under their system of proportional representation) Having several diverse parties each acting according to their own motivations and beliefs builds at least some protection against the abuse of power into the system. That is something that our political system sorely needs because, as we are witnessing on a daily basis in Alberta, it is far too easy for democracy to be manipulated towards autocracy.
Hi Guy
I do remember our discussion about Borgen and YES they need too BE politicians in order to get things done. Human beings, naturally prefer to just be the boss and impose their ideas to others and so it is definitely a tough job, but to me the way you can run a country the best way possible,
This is the reason way we are so reluctant in trying Proportional Representation. We think it is a waste of time. What I think it is a waste of time is for example this rush division of our Health Care System that could turn out to be another UCP disaster and then it will take us decades to get it to work again.
I agree that it is way to easy to manipulate democracy into a autocracy and we are witnessing it in the US. Hungary is another example and almost happened in Poland and Slovakia is in the process.
I lived under a Proportion Representation before and it is not a panacea but to me much better than this decrepit system we have now. One can always vote for what one believes.